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Nadat een 16-jarige zoon tijdens een jachtpartij per ongeluk zijn vader dodelijk heeft verwond, beraadt een jeugdvriend van de moeder met een stel criminele vriendjes een plan om de jongen te ontvoeren en flink veel losgeld te eisen.
247 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
42 people are currently reading
714 people want to read
About the author
Peter Leonard
50 books93 followersSon of Elmore Leonard.
Peter Leonard lives in Birmingham, Michigan with his wife and four children. He is a partner in the ad agency Leonard, Mayer & Tocco, Inc.
Peter Leonard lives in Birmingham, Michigan with his wife and four children. He is a partner in the ad agency Leonard, Mayer & Tocco, Inc.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
May 19, 2022
There's homage, and then there's hand-puppetry, and Peter Leonard walks perhaps too fine a line between the two in his debut crime novel, which could have said "Elmore Leonard" on the cover and nobody would have known the difference.
That said, almost everybody loves Elmore Leonard novels, as as Elmore Leonard novels go, Peter Leonard's QUIVER is a pretty good one. Even if it's difficult to see so much of the father in the son that you can't really see the difference, because all the old familiar hit songs are on this album: a charming criminal named Jack; a handful of grinning strong-arm killers; a sexy woman who has to choose which guy, if any,, to throw in with; a lot of jivey, jingling street talk that never quite lets you forget that an old white guy wrote it. All in deliciously slouchy, hipshot prose style that slides down as smooth as a shot of good bourbon.
Peter Leonard handles all these elements with aplomb, and manages to layer them with an extra layer of pathos, in the form of Luke, a teenager who can't quite get past killing his father in a hunting accident; and Kate, Luke's mother, whose wealthy widowhood suddenly makes her a magnet for unwanted male attention. And all of the those guys are character-and-a-half characters: Jack, the lover who preceded her marriage; DeJuan, the streetwise sharpie whose past with Jack leads him to target Kate; and Teddy and Celeste, a couple of stone-cold redneck sociopaths who provide logistical support and shotgun chill to the enterprise. Even Bill Wink, the local deputy who deludes himself into thinking he's in Kate's league and even in line to be her husband's replacement, sticks the landing in his every scene.
(To Peter Leonard, the extra pathos is a critical distinction between he and his father; in a 2008 interview, he said: "The comparisons are inevitable. I chose my father’s genre and I tell my stories through the eyes of my characters in shifting points of view. So there are some obvious similarities. But I think there are a lot of differences too. Elmore Leonard would never write a story like QUIVER. It’s too sentimental.")
However you come down on that, the bottom line is that QUIVER works, and entertains as it does so, with confidence, glide and style. Which doesn't mean it's perfect:. There are a few too many stage-managed coincidences for my taste — a common pitfall in the crime-fiction genre — and some of the DeJuan POV scenes made me cringe, but none of that derails the sense of satisfaction I got when I reached the final page. And the cherry on top is a big subversion of a longstanding Elmore Leonard trope, having to do with the Jack character, and it bites you in the ass in a not particularly pleasurable way, and for that reason I was particularly happy with the way that string played out.
And there are some great lines along the way: "He had the hair-trigger temper of an adolescent, like somebody put him to sleep when he was fourteen and woke him up yesterday" is one; "A guy named Holden went to New York to find himself. Jack thinking the way he’d gone to Tucson. Only he couldn’t remember Holden Caulfield committing armed robbery and spending thirty-eight months in prison" is another. Pretty good, just like QUIVER.
That said, almost everybody loves Elmore Leonard novels, as as Elmore Leonard novels go, Peter Leonard's QUIVER is a pretty good one. Even if it's difficult to see so much of the father in the son that you can't really see the difference, because all the old familiar hit songs are on this album: a charming criminal named Jack; a handful of grinning strong-arm killers; a sexy woman who has to choose which guy, if any,, to throw in with; a lot of jivey, jingling street talk that never quite lets you forget that an old white guy wrote it. All in deliciously slouchy, hipshot prose style that slides down as smooth as a shot of good bourbon.
Peter Leonard handles all these elements with aplomb, and manages to layer them with an extra layer of pathos, in the form of Luke, a teenager who can't quite get past killing his father in a hunting accident; and Kate, Luke's mother, whose wealthy widowhood suddenly makes her a magnet for unwanted male attention. And all of the those guys are character-and-a-half characters: Jack, the lover who preceded her marriage; DeJuan, the streetwise sharpie whose past with Jack leads him to target Kate; and Teddy and Celeste, a couple of stone-cold redneck sociopaths who provide logistical support and shotgun chill to the enterprise. Even Bill Wink, the local deputy who deludes himself into thinking he's in Kate's league and even in line to be her husband's replacement, sticks the landing in his every scene.
(To Peter Leonard, the extra pathos is a critical distinction between he and his father; in a 2008 interview, he said: "The comparisons are inevitable. I chose my father’s genre and I tell my stories through the eyes of my characters in shifting points of view. So there are some obvious similarities. But I think there are a lot of differences too. Elmore Leonard would never write a story like QUIVER. It’s too sentimental.")
However you come down on that, the bottom line is that QUIVER works, and entertains as it does so, with confidence, glide and style. Which doesn't mean it's perfect:. There are a few too many stage-managed coincidences for my taste — a common pitfall in the crime-fiction genre — and some of the DeJuan POV scenes made me cringe, but none of that derails the sense of satisfaction I got when I reached the final page. And the cherry on top is a big subversion of a longstanding Elmore Leonard trope, having to do with the Jack character, and it bites you in the ass in a not particularly pleasurable way, and for that reason I was particularly happy with the way that string played out.
And there are some great lines along the way: "He had the hair-trigger temper of an adolescent, like somebody put him to sleep when he was fourteen and woke him up yesterday" is one; "A guy named Holden went to New York to find himself. Jack thinking the way he’d gone to Tucson. Only he couldn’t remember Holden Caulfield committing armed robbery and spending thirty-eight months in prison" is another. Pretty good, just like QUIVER.
June 7, 2022
Vond dit een iets te simpel verhaal, vooral het einde was te voorspelbaar. (Ruilkastboek).
February 12, 2011
This is a really good read if you are looking for something that is fast, easy, entertaining, and full of bad guys, that you well really enjoy getting whats due them.
Kate McCall is living a charmed life. She has a wonderful husband and son, that is, until her son, Luke, kills his father in a hunting accident. While Kate and Luke are struggling to get over this tragedy, they are confronted with a former lover of Kate.
Jack Curran comes back into Kate's life after having served prison time for theft. Jack has double crossed his partners in a heist and they are out to even the score.
Jack discovers that Kate is very wealthy and sees her as a way for him to square things away with his former partners. An elaboratge scheme is set up to kidnap Luke and demand a ransom. Jack uses his past relationship with Kate to make her believe that he is helping her to get her son back.
There are some really excellent changes in the storyline that will keep the reader turning the pages and guessing what is going to happen next. Will the deputy sheriff that is in love with Kate be the one to come to her rescue. Will Jack mend his ways and turn his life around by foresaking his criminal partners and come to Kate's aid. Will Kate, a strong person, resolve the issue on her own by taking out Jack and his partners. How about Luke, what part will he play in the rescue. Will the partners in crime turn against each other, and want the million dollar ransom for their own.
In case you may be wondering Peter Leonard is the son of the well knowm mystery writer, Elmore Leonard. Trust me he does not have to ride in on his father's shirtails, he is a more than capable writer and will find his own legacy in this genre.
Kate McCall is living a charmed life. She has a wonderful husband and son, that is, until her son, Luke, kills his father in a hunting accident. While Kate and Luke are struggling to get over this tragedy, they are confronted with a former lover of Kate.
Jack Curran comes back into Kate's life after having served prison time for theft. Jack has double crossed his partners in a heist and they are out to even the score.
Jack discovers that Kate is very wealthy and sees her as a way for him to square things away with his former partners. An elaboratge scheme is set up to kidnap Luke and demand a ransom. Jack uses his past relationship with Kate to make her believe that he is helping her to get her son back.
There are some really excellent changes in the storyline that will keep the reader turning the pages and guessing what is going to happen next. Will the deputy sheriff that is in love with Kate be the one to come to her rescue. Will Jack mend his ways and turn his life around by foresaking his criminal partners and come to Kate's aid. Will Kate, a strong person, resolve the issue on her own by taking out Jack and his partners. How about Luke, what part will he play in the rescue. Will the partners in crime turn against each other, and want the million dollar ransom for their own.
In case you may be wondering Peter Leonard is the son of the well knowm mystery writer, Elmore Leonard. Trust me he does not have to ride in on his father's shirtails, he is a more than capable writer and will find his own legacy in this genre.
September 28, 2016
the book was about a family of a wife named Kate Mcall, her husband, and her son, Luke. Kate's husband was killed by Luke accidentally when Luke tried to shoot an arrow at a deer it just missed the deer and hit his father instead. she now struggles with her sons guilt, her first love, Jack, an ex-con reappears, along with a crew of his former "colleagues". if you liked the book Stop & Frisk then you will like Quiver.
September 2, 2008
This was a book of the month pick, and, as usual, I liked it. I thought it could have been cut a little bit short in some parts; but I guess that in overall it gives the book a good feel. It's haunting in certain places and scary real in all of them.
September 7, 2008
Listened to - certainly no Elmore but shows potential. Similar characterization to his dad but plot needed more work.
January 26, 2018
★★★★ 1/2
September 12, 2008
not horrible for a first try but he sure ain't his daddy!
March 13, 2018
A couple of things didn't add up, but it's better to suspend belief and go with the story. More than a little Elmore Leonard leaked into the pages, but that's a good thing. (Especially since Elmore's writing days are over.)
November 12, 2017
Very good read. A little slow at the beginning and developing the plot and the characters.
Last 3-5 chapters were real page turners. Excellent action, climax and twists.
Last 3-5 chapters were real page turners. Excellent action, climax and twists.
November 14, 2018
He does a fine job reproducing an Elmore Leonard story (vivid characters, spot-on dialog, complex plot) but not quite his dad's precise and economical prose.
June 20, 2022
A great short mystery novel, but it ended quickly which is now how I really like my books to end. Hence the 4 stars.
May 31, 2024
The second half of the book is more exciting. The first half is a bore.
February 21, 2025
It was very slow, and it got boring at times. But the last few chapters is where it picked up, and you wanted to know what was going to happen.
November 18, 2025
3,5 Stars ***
Rating: 7,8/10
Rating: 7,8/10
March 16, 2015
Yessir another book down and first things first I never expected to finish this in one day and sigh also never expected this book to be sooo bad..I was bored but invested in this book enough to finish it however I did not enjoy it. I couldn’t believe it was that convoluted and patchy with such a lackluster plot but truly this book lost a star and fell to wanksta status because of the awful portrayals of racism in this book for no reason..Every sentence about DeJuan as if its not obvious enough says he’s a black guy, and another poorly drawn character Celeste has a foolish racist background she tries to punctuate with her father’s tasteless joke : Know the world’s shortest book is? And he’d go “N---Yachting Captains I Have Known..Yea horrible “joke” and yea I don’t even type the n-word, but I don’t mind reading about it or the Aryan brotherhood but be at least be worth reading, informative and witty and this book wasn’t..it was actually just borderline offensive as every time DeJuan spoke there was broken grammar and wack ass hip hop references I just had to deduct a star for bad character development for real..Okay so the story, elusively called Quiver like what is shot from a bow and arrow but this book was not about that at all..It begins with a woman and her son grieving the death of their father, her husband after getting killed by a quiver shot by the son while deer hunting..As they grow apart with the son in deep guilt and the mother in a state of shock her old first love comes in town fresh out of prison looking to scheme some money and a new life of felony living. The stories parallel for a while as the criminal Jack is being stalked and watched for a bank robbery gone wrong and a bunch of missing money so ..as all the parties get together and a kidnapping plot comes in, some weak romances and storylines, like I said the bad writing and poor descriptions just made this story messy and forgettable definitely..I again picked this up off a whim and could have, should have skipped past this, even though the blurb sounded interesting and the cover was cool I should have done my research and saved my time in order to spend it with a great book..Soon my reading loves, soon I promise..this one two thumbs down.
June 3, 2008
Kate McCall's husband dies in an hunting accident. Kate's son, Luke accidentally shots his father with an arrow. As Kate is trying to cope with the loss of her husband and the guilt her son carries, an old friend walks back into her life. Jack is an ex-con. He has a lot of people after him right now, because they think he has lost the heist money. The events that take place will make Kate and her son, Luke's relationship stronger than it has even been in this skillfully plotted strongline of a book called Quiver.
I thought Quiver was a good first book for Mr. Peter Leonard. It moved very quickly and easily. The ending was a surprise to me. I enjoyed this fact, when the unexpected happens in a book. It shows that author's writing style to be so amazing that Mr. Leonard can take the reader all the way through a story without the reader knowing or figuring out what is going to happen next. It makes me want to read more novels by this author. If Quiver is any indication of what's to come from Peter Leonard than readers are in for a treat. So make sure to check out Quiver to see what people are talking about and make sure to add Mr. Leonard to your list of favorite authors. You won't be sorry you did.
I thought Quiver was a good first book for Mr. Peter Leonard. It moved very quickly and easily. The ending was a surprise to me. I enjoyed this fact, when the unexpected happens in a book. It shows that author's writing style to be so amazing that Mr. Leonard can take the reader all the way through a story without the reader knowing or figuring out what is going to happen next. It makes me want to read more novels by this author. If Quiver is any indication of what's to come from Peter Leonard than readers are in for a treat. So make sure to check out Quiver to see what people are talking about and make sure to add Mr. Leonard to your list of favorite authors. You won't be sorry you did.
September 16, 2008
The story is of Luke and his mum Kate, who is a bit of a superwoman and the loss of her husband: Owen in a hunting accident with a bow, which Luke feels somewhat to blame for. After his death Luke has difficulties settling down, and Kate meets an old flame: Jack, who has only recently been freed from jail, which is unknown to her. Luke disappears and suddenly she is facing a kidnapping, as she has been left a fortune by Owen but instead of falling to bits, superwoman comes to the fore.
I found this book very easy to read and it felt it was written ready for the big screen. I enjoyed the second half of the book more so that the first half as it became easier to understand once you could see where all the characters were merging. I didn’t really connect with the characters and thought that the story was a bit lacking in plot, but I think in film mode this may work quite well.
Overall I would say I enjoyed parts of the story and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a story written in a format that translates well to the big screen.
I found this book very easy to read and it felt it was written ready for the big screen. I enjoyed the second half of the book more so that the first half as it became easier to understand once you could see where all the characters were merging. I didn’t really connect with the characters and thought that the story was a bit lacking in plot, but I think in film mode this may work quite well.
Overall I would say I enjoyed parts of the story and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a story written in a format that translates well to the big screen.
September 3, 2011
Still working thro it - it's a tough one! There are some brilliant chahacters in it, including a female killer who's much brighter than her dimwitted colleague whom she wonders why she keeps around - well-done characterization is one of his strengths. Everybody who reviews it talks about his similarity to or competition with his dad, Elmore, but it's not a competition - Peter writes much more elaborately, doesn't hesitate to pontificate about his characters, something Elmore never does; Elmore never violates the golden rule that people only speak, they don't speak this or that way, it's all "he said," "he said," and you pick up how he said it by the preceding or following dialogue - a Hemingway legacy there. . Well, enough about Dad; Peter is a fine novelist, well worth reading on his own account. Can't wait to get time to finish reading it - it's bloody-minded around page 135. OK?
June 28, 2008
The plot is a relatively simple one: Kate McCall becomes a widow when her husband is killed by their son in a hunting accident. Over the next seven months, the boy becomes withdrawn and runs away. Then he is kidnapped with $2 million demanded in ransom. The real value in the book is the characterizations. It would not be fair to compare the personages to those of Elmore Leonard. They're right up there with the master. Leonard deftly moves the plot along, with double-crosses and unexpected twists, leading up to a deadly standoff. The novel is a pleasant surprise and I hope Peter is hard at work on his next one. Highly recommended for a first time author; I think suspense readers will really enjoy it.
Read
July 25, 2011I really liked this book. I'm surprised that the majority of the reviewers on this site didn't. I thought the characters were fun and flashy, the story hooked me from page 1 and it had some good twists and turns. Sure, I ultimately had my suspicions about how things were going to wind up, but I enjoyed the book enough that I wasn't bothered by that. Peter Leonard is Elmore Leonard's son and it was clear from reading this book that great writing skills run in the family. I do agree with one review that said this was written clearly to become a movie. I can totally see it. But reading the book is worth it!
July 7, 2008
Kate McCall’s husband has been killed by her son, Luke, in a tragic bow-hunting accident. While Kate struggles with her son’s guilt, her first love, Jack, an ex-con, reappears, along with a crew of his former associates. While Jack tries to convince his partners in crime that he really did lose their heist money, his appearance sets into motion a series of events for Kate, ending in a life-and-death confrontation.
Leonard is the son of Elmore Leonard.
A well-plotted, easy-to-read novel that explores the dark side of human nature.
Highly recommend.
Leonard is the son of Elmore Leonard.
A well-plotted, easy-to-read novel that explores the dark side of human nature.
Highly recommend.
July 19, 2008
First line of the book
"Kate was standing at the island counter, eyes swollen from crying, makeup smeared across one of her cheeks, staring at the food: platters of cold cuts and bowls of potato salad, plates of cookies, assorted cheeses and fresh fruit."
Reviewed this book - it had what seemed to be a couple of separate plotlines that took a while to intersect and once they did the pace of the story accelerated and so did my interest as a reader. So the book has a slow start but gets real interesting and has a intriguing but violent ending.
"Kate was standing at the island counter, eyes swollen from crying, makeup smeared across one of her cheeks, staring at the food: platters of cold cuts and bowls of potato salad, plates of cookies, assorted cheeses and fresh fruit."
Reviewed this book - it had what seemed to be a couple of separate plotlines that took a while to intersect and once they did the pace of the story accelerated and so did my interest as a reader. So the book has a slow start but gets real interesting and has a intriguing but violent ending.
September 10, 2015
Nadat de 16-jarige Luke tijdens een jachtpartij per ongeluk zijn vader dodelijk heeft geraakt, raakt hij depressief en zondert zich af. Een jeugdvriend van de moeder heeft snode plannen en voert deze uit. Met gevolgen die niet gelijk worden verwacht. Het verhaal neemt zo nu en dan andere wendingen en gebruikt hele korte zinnen. Dat vond ik hier en daar allemaal wel wat moeilijk, soms zelfs te simpel wat de spanningsopbouw niet ten goede kwam. Wel een boek wat onderhoud. En ik ben dus best wel nieuwsgierig naar andere boeken van zijn hand.
December 28, 2008
Elmore Leonard is my all time favorite author. Peter Leonard is his son. Luckily, the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. This is an excellent first novel. If anything it may feel a little too much his dad's work. This is nice for those of us who know there can't be too many books left in the 83 year old Elmore. We will see if Peter can carve out his own voice. I know I am looking forward to finding out.
December 25, 2008
This is a very good debut novel by the son of arguably my favorite author (Elmore Leonard). The plot is tight and the characterization is rich. What keeps it from five stars? I'm not sure I am technically competent to be specific. Suffice it to say, the author made no mistakes, and entertained me all the way through, and if his prose lacks a specific magic that his dad provides, I am confident that magic will surface in future works. A great read!
September 12, 2018
Not until I was finished did I realize Peter is Elmore's son. Maybe I knew when I bought the book, but it has been aging on the shelf for ten years. Aged to perfection.
For any writer this would be a fine contribution to the canon; for a debut novel, it is exceptionally tasty. A gutsy heroine who isn't hung on herself; a badass bad girl who is mean and smart; an assortment of other well drawn charters. Good writing, tricky plot, doesn't overstay its welcome.
Recommended.
For any writer this would be a fine contribution to the canon; for a debut novel, it is exceptionally tasty. A gutsy heroine who isn't hung on herself; a badass bad girl who is mean and smart; an assortment of other well drawn charters. Good writing, tricky plot, doesn't overstay its welcome.
Recommended.
July 24, 2008
Leonard owes almost the entire plot to his famous father Elmore, and while I'm sure he risked being derivative if he'd done so I wish he'd borrowed some of the humor as well. These sorts of motley-crew crime novels don't seem to gell without the levity - the plots aren't interesting enough to stand alone. I will give points to the high accuracy in his depiction of Michigan living, though.
December 28, 2008
This was an impulse pickup out of the New Book section of the library. You can definitely see the influence of Peter Leonard's Father, Elmore. The crime story has lots of quirky characters, the women are smarter than most of the men and it has its fair share of violence.
This was a good, quick read.
This was a good, quick read.
June 13, 2010
After a tragic hunting accident where her son killed her husband, Kate McCall struggles with her loss as her son Luke struggles with his guilt. Enter old flame Jack into the picture. She doesn't quite trust him, but reaches out anyway. Then Luke is kidnapped and a ransom demanded. Kate calls Jack immediately to help her out of this nightmare.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews